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My first car

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  • Member since
    July 2016
  • From: Malvern, PA
Posted by WillysMB on Thursday, October 19, 2023 11:00 AM

Mine was a 1969 MG Midget bought in 1972 just after HS graduation. Went halves with my dad on purchase and insurance, his job was out at the old Denver airport, Stapleton, and I worked out there as well. It wasn't always convenient for us to ride in and out together to home which was 45 min away, so the car was part of the solution. I still feel part of the reason for the MG though, which he picked out (I of course acceded quickly), was he really wanted a British sports car. Sold it after college graduation for a 1969 MGB. Wish I had them both.

  • Member since
    November 2018
Posted by oldermodelguy on Wednesday, October 18, 2023 12:13 PM

Mine was a 55 Chevy station wagon. I pulled out the inline 6, managing over time to scrape together a 327 engine and put that in there. Having a small cam and the good heads it ran a bit more than just awesome. But It's all a crazy story that managed to find my first car on the road to be a 58 Chevy with 283. And a 55 Chevy off to the junk yard unfortunately. To say I was crazy in my teen years is an understatement, it's only by the will of God I made it through.

  • Member since
    August 2022
Posted by ThanosForever on Wednesday, October 18, 2023 10:29 AM

Mine was a base model 1976 Oldsmobile Omega F-85, the Olds version of the second generation Chevy Nova. Nice quasi-international orange paint colour. Man, I loved that thing. It wasn't that fast given the base engine in it, a mere 250 I believe , but it was super reliable. Aside from the lower panel rusting, thanks to the excessive winter road salt that was used at the time, to me it was perfect. I was given full access to it in 1985. My mom taught me to drive in it. The rear end was dragging like one of today's teenagers with their pants hangling nearly down to the back of their knees, so I had new leaf springs put in. Made the rear come up by over a foot and look like a proper car again. Got to practice my skills at installing car stereos and speakers in it multiple times. And installing heater fans. And more headlights bulbs than I can even remember. Seemed almost tank-like too in the way those GM's from the 1970's were, given that I got rear-ended badly in it one day and all that happened was that a few scratches and a dent the size of a quarter were put in the bumper. 

I miss that thing. Never should have got rid of it. It was almost Toyota-like in its ability to just keep going and going and going no matter was sort of insanity it got put through by its ne'er-do-well driver!

  • Member since
    October 2004
  • From: Orlando, Florida
Posted by ikar01 on Wednesday, October 18, 2023 6:46 AM

Don't forget the Rools Canardly.

Rools down onw hill, canardly get up the next.

  • Member since
    January 2010
Posted by CrashTestDummy on Tuesday, October 17, 2023 3:18 PM

Mine was a 1964 Buick Riviera.  425 with 2X4 Carters on top, finned aluminum valve covers and pretty much every option on the order sheet.  It was a special order by one of the Chaplains at Vandenberg AFB.  He passed of a heart attack weeks after taking delivery and my Dad bought it.  It became mine when I got my driver's license. 

It got me through high school, but, sadly, several cross-country trips to the worst places for cars (rust belt and Pacific coast), it was rusting from the inside out, so I gave up on the body work and sold it.  My college car was a 1972 455HO/4sp Trans Am in Lucerne Blue.  

G. Beaird,

Pearland, Texas

  • Member since
    October 2004
  • From: Orlando, Florida
Posted by ikar01 on Tuesday, October 17, 2023 1:18 PM

Mine was a 1962 Comet.  It was maroon with a 6 cylinder engine, AM radio, pull out throttle, and artifficial white wall tires.  There was no air, or power brakes or steering, or seat belts.  If you wantered to have air you just rolled down the windows and opened the wing windows and you had a 6/60 air system.  Six windows opened at 60 MPH.

Eventually we had to have belts by order of the government so everybody would drill holes in the floor, go to Sears for belts, bolt them in, and run them through the sections of the seats.

To upgrade the sound system you just drilled holes in the bottom of the metal dash, bolted your 8 Track played to it, and spliced the wires into your power and car speaker wires.

It ran great until a camaro hit it one winter night and shoved it sidewise into a drain where the studded tires caught there and the axel bent and the rear fender  was torn up.  A few months later it caught fire and was replaced by a 1963 Chevy Biscayne, my first stick car.

Other cars wouild follow.  Wish I had any of them.  Or all.

 

 

  • Member since
    October 2013
Posted by chops1sc on Tuesday, October 17, 2023 12:18 PM

The first car I drove as a teen was a 1981 Ford Fairmont. Complete POS but it got me to where I needed to go. I wrecked it less than a year after I started driving it. 

The first car I bought for myself was a 1991 Camaro RS. I loved that car and I had a massive sound system in it. One day I decided to "restore" it and took it apart. This is the one thing I wish I could go back and change. I sold the car back in 2018 (I think).

https://www.flickr.com/photos/32068090@N07/albums

  • Member since
    March 2020
  • From: South Florida
Posted by Having-fun on Tuesday, October 17, 2023 11:03 AM

 

Shortly after I move to South Florida, back in 1969, I very rapidly realized that without a car I would not be able to get a job, not having much money (who does?), I purchase an old 1958 Chevrolet Impala, ($250) It was in a decent condition and did, from zero to 60 in about 2 and half hours (LOL), but allowed me to move around town and find a job.

 

Had it for about 1 year then I purchased a brand new Camaro Z28, my first new car. It did zero to 60 in 4.5 seconds! but used gas like a eighteen wheeler. I had the car for about 2 years when it was stolen from the employee parking of the company I was working on. They found it 3 days later without transmission, engine and wheels. I believe it was an inside job, because the car had an alarm, but the thief did not open the door, they broke the window and crawled in, hard wire the car and took off.

 

After that I went conservative, I was engage to my now Admiral and getting ready to marry, so I went out I purchased a Chevrolet Malibu which I used for over 10 years.

 

If the Camaro would not have been stolen, most likely I would have keep it, I really like the car.

 

Joe

 

  • Member since
    March 2022
  • From: Twin cities, MN
Posted by missileman2000 on Tuesday, October 17, 2023 9:23 AM

First drivable car was a 1947 Crosely Sedan.  Fun little car.

 

  • Member since
    December 2008
  • From: UK
Posted by PatW on Tuesday, October 17, 2023 2:02 AM

Mine was in 1966 a 1953 Austin Devon 4 door saloon.

Not this registration.

Remember , common sense is not common.

  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: On my kitchen counter top somewhere in central North Carolina.
Posted by disastermaster on Monday, October 16, 2023 11:19 PM

OK.

 Don't laugh........

.https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQSbgAXMi4B5UO2Mg3cHxxUqNsMIufAHm5DcEHSwCQ6Fw&s https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRRkzspZEBLiXE1hLLyj_pyip4KaZeZm7nAAhlKJpkueg&s

                                       1961 nash metropolitan

 https://i.imgur.com/LjRRaV1.png

 

 

 
  • Member since
    May 2023
  • From: Elk Grove, CA
Posted by Seven on Monday, October 16, 2023 9:43 PM

Some very nice first cars here. Mine was a '62 Rambler American with three on the tree that I bought from the police lot for $50. I was a junior in H.S. so was pretty thrilled with it, my parents, on the other hand, hated that 12 year old rust bucket. When it lost 1st and reverse I gave up on it!

Jim

  • Member since
    June 2017
  • From: Winter Park, FL
Posted by fotofrank on Monday, October 16, 2023 8:43 PM

My first car didn't look this good but it was a real 1955 Cadillac Model 62 Coupe de Ville.

I was a two-stripe airman in 1967 when I bought the car for $150. I had to reconnect the wiring for the power windows and bring the Wonder Bar radio back to life. Lots of vacuum tubes. The radio must weighed 30 pounds. A fun car. Maybe drove it for a year and a half then I bought a 1963 Falcon Futura convertible.

OK. In the stash: Way too much to build in one lifetime...

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • From: USA
Posted by keavdog on Monday, October 16, 2023 8:31 PM

My internal combustion engine vehicle was a 76ish Kawasaki KZ-400.  I had an Alcort Sunfish sailboat before that :)

First car was a 72 Datsun 510 2 door which I would love to have now.  They make great track cars.

Thanks,

John

  • Member since
    April 2020
Posted by Eaglecash867 on Monday, October 16, 2023 4:56 PM

My first car was a 1972 Mercury Comet with a 302 V8. Loved that little car.  Its life was cut short in 1988 when an idiot in a 1982 Toyota Corolla coming the opposite direction made a left turn, right in front of me at an intersection.  There was tons of sand on the roads from snowplows, so I had no chance of stopping or maneuvering around it.  Cut the Toyota in half, and folded my entire front end half-way up to the windshield.  That sure was a sad day.  It was a beautiful car that was still practically in showroom condition.  Crying

"You can have my illegal fireworks when you pry them from my cold, dead fingers...which are...over there somewhere."

  • Member since
    May 2011
  • From: Honolulu, Hawaii
Posted by Real G on Monday, October 16, 2023 4:45 PM

My first car was a 1983 Honda Accord hatchback.  That was the first Japanese car in my family.  My dad always bought American.  He had a 1955 and then a 1970 Plymouth Valiant and then a 1978 Olds Omega (Chevy Nova equivalent).

The Honda was a real eye-opener in terms of build quality, finish, and amenities.  Only 75 HP from a normally aspirated 1.8 L inline four, but I learned to ask for power before I needed it, and it was fine.  Drove it for over 20 years.  Loved that car.

“Ya ya ya, unicorn papoi!”

  • Member since
    September 2012
Posted by GMorrison on Monday, October 16, 2023 4:05 PM

1963 Volkswagen Beetle. It was a hand-me-down from my dad when he got a bigger car.

It was a good car, super durable and economical. It got me all through college.

It looked just like this:

Ran with a group of VW guys and learned a lot about mechanics.

At some point flooring the accelerator (lol!) to get on the freeway became a little annoying, so I bought a beat up BMW 1602 and fixed it up.

 

Bill

 Modeling is an excuse to buy books.

 

  • Member since
    September 2020
  • From: Pa. and NC
Posted by siiirhd88 on Monday, October 16, 2023 4:02 PM

Mine was a '58 Triumph TR-3 that I bought in 1970 for $100.  I still have it, with a lot of modifications.  It is currently not on the road, but maybe late next year.

Bob

fox
  • Member since
    January 2007
  • From: Narvon, Pa.
Posted by fox on Monday, October 16, 2023 3:48 PM

Mine was a '53 Chevy Belair Convertible. Stock straight 6. It was supposed to be stock but it didn't run like it. After street racing a few guys and beating them, I decided to go to Atco Dragway and see what it could do. My mechanic checked it out and said it was 100% stock. Raced it for about 3 years in stock class. Won some, lost some but had a ball doing it. Finally gave up after I decided racing the car and driving it to work too wasn't going to work too well. 

Stay safe.

Jim Captain

 

 Main WIP: 

   On the Bench: Artesania Latina  (aka) Artists in the Latrine 1/75 Bluenose II

I keep hitting "escape", but I'm still here.

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Western North Carolina
Posted by Tojo72 on Monday, October 16, 2023 3:43 PM

A basic 1970 light green Mustang Coupe

Paid $1600 in 1976 after I graduated,used the money I earned during my senior year working part time,plus money from my grad party.

No car given to me by my parents or insurance paid by them,didn't get one till I could afford it on my own.

My family wasn't poor by any means we had what we needed,it was more about responsibility.

  • Member since
    April 2023
  • From: New mexico
My first car
Posted by John3M on Monday, October 16, 2023 2:27 PM

Mine was a 58 Plymouth Fury it was dark blue with a 350 cubic inch and twin 4-barrel carbs. the second set of carbs didn't kick in unless i floored it. Can you imagine a high school kid with such a beast under the hood? I'm looking for a model now that I think about it.

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